| Tuesday, March 31st 2009 |
| Farmers describe struggle as food safety issue |
Peter Orr of Fort Hill Farm in Thompson said he considers milking cows and growing vegetables more than a matter of personal fortune.
He said his work, along with dozens of other farmers across the state, is necessary to what agriculture experts describe as food security, or access to safe, healthy food on a daily basis and in a statewide emergency.
Food security is the latest buzzword for the state's farmers who are fighting to survive - 12 dairy farms closed in 2008 and several more are expected to close this year - and is partly behind a national trend of buying locally grown food.
Earlier this month, speakers at a rally at the state Capitol who asked for financial support for farmers referred to food security several times.
"You get accountability and reassurance that food is being produced in very acceptable ways," Orr said.
He said the tainted Chinese pet food scandal two years ago that featured the use of melamine, a chemical used to make plastic, is a reminder that not all food imported into the United States is meeting health standards.
Lucy Nolan, executive director of End Hunger Connecticut, said cities need farmers markets for local, healthy food and many of Connecticut's schools receive food directly from local farms.
She said there's another aspect to food security.
"Sept. 11 made us more aware about this that if for some reason roads are closed and transportation is stopped, we need to make sure we can get food," she said. "The way to do that is to ensure we have local farms."
Linda Drake, chairwoman of the Connecticut Food Policy Council, said it is fair to consider "what if" scenarios.
A few years ago, a massive snowstorm shut down the state's highways and disrupted the transportation of food into the state. Drake said grocers, who typically have about a week's worth of food on hand, became concerned they would run out of food.
She said the state's homegrown produce needs to serve as a backup in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.
"If we don't preserve our farmland, we don't have the potential to grow our own food," she said.
Wayne Sanford, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Homeland Security, said food security is a topic of concern for his department, which considers such scenarios as a dirty bomb exploding in New York City.
In the last two to three years, the department has established distribution points of meals ready to eat in every municipality, conducted training exercises on food distribution, designated two reception sites for trailer trucks that need to enter the state, and developed a software program to reroute trucks when a bridge or road becomes impassable.
Homeland security officials also have worked with major grocers, such as Stop & Shop and Shaw's Supermarkets, to create a strategy for distributing local food.
Orr said he's not being an alarmist when he reminds people that 50 percent of milk sold in Connecticut comes from local farmers. He said that knowledge may help preserve his farm.
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